Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Test Area North, Hangar No. 629, Scoville, Butte County, ID

Significance: TAN 629 was built as the Flight Engine Test facility for the Aircraft Nuclear Propulsion Project of the U.S. Air Force and the Atomic Energy Commission. Intended to house a test jet airplane using nuclear energy as a power source, the building was designed as a hangar with special features to accommodate engine tests, related research, training, and hazards associated with the experiments. Although a ground experiment in 1956 proved the principle that a nuclear reactor could power a jet engine, many problems in engineering and designing a nuclear-powered aircraft remained to be tested and solved...
Survey number: HAER ID-33-A